On LinkedIn Diane Sahakian just calls herself a “Senior Executive” with U.S. Customs & Border Protection, but anyone in the field knows that where there’s smoke Diane’s putting out a fire. For decades this acquisition leader has been managing billions on behalf of the most critical programs at CBP: Border Patrol, Air and Marine Operations, the Office of Field Operations, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Trade, and more.
Sahakian’s deep understanding of the mission and the need for its smooth execution dates back to the legacy U.S. Customs Service and her expertise and exceptional work evolved through experience in both government and in industry. She has been tasked with nearly every role there is in procurement – on both the support and operational sides. Sahakian is tackling a dual role at CBP as Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Acquisition and as CBP’s Head of the Contracting Activity, interfacing with the Department of Homeland Security’s Chief Procurement Office. She oversees 350 acquisition and procurement professionals. Within CBP, acquisition is the discipline that works with agency operators to identify, design, assess, procure, and maintain capabilities needed for mission attainment. The OA procurement team obligates funding via contract awards at a rate of almost $5 billion each fiscal year and administers thousands of contracts in support of CBP operations. OA works to get CBP the right tools at the right time and at the right cost.